From Anonymous to Now-Named
For quite some time, I wondered who wrote the headline for the Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier in Washington Square. Now I know. Photo by Jim Murphy, author of “Real Philly History, Real Fast.”
An Ayer Ace
After a lot of digging, I recently discovered the name of the unknown advertising copywriter at N.W. Ayer & Son who wrote these wonderful lines:
“Freedom is a light for which many men have died in darkness.”
They perfectly capture the whiteness of the memorial, the yellow of eternal flame and the deep darkness of the unknown soldier … and other nearby Revolutionary war soldiers … who died of sickness and wounds.
Kudos to John J. Pullen
Appropriately, the copywriter was: John J. Pullen, a former artillery captain in World War II, historian and author of: “The Twentieth Maine: A Volunteer Regiment in the Civil War.”
As I wrote this, I realized I have a book by Pullen I read years ago … and still have on my shelf. It’s about Joshua Chamberlain, a major character in the book, who has long been one of my heroes.
For years, I read that the lines above were written by an anonymous copywriter at Ayer …whose former offices are just steps away on Washington Square in what is now The Ayer.
So let’s hear it today for a talented man who was unknown locally for the marvelous copy he wrote for this monument. Fortunately, I stumbled on his name in a huge PDF put out by the Society Hill Civic Association.
It’s called: “Cultural Landscape Report” – Independence National Historical Report, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – September 2010.
Note: Other things I learned in this report:
The statue of George Washington at the monument is a bronze replica of Jean Antonie Houdon’s standing figure of Washington, that was commissioned by Thomas Jefferson in1785. “The original statue is the only full-size statue of Washington done from life.”
The 14 flags that flank the memorial “represent the battle flags of the 13 original colonies and the first American flag.”
The monument was dedicated June 21, 1957.
Some Sources:
https://heald.nga.gov/mediawiki/index.php/Washington_Square_(Philadelphia,_PA)
https://hiddencityphila.org/2020/07/confronting-our-history-a-monumental-challenge/
https://societyhillcivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/washington_square_clr.pdf
https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/pullen-john-james-1913-2003
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=9051
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=81980
https://www.nps.gov/inde/learn/historyculture/places-washingtonsquare.htm
https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/tomb-of-the-unknown-revolutionary-war-soldier.htm
https://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-philly/washington-square-west/delorean-time-machine-the-ayer/